There are over one hundred million utility poles in the U.S. These utility poles are an integral piece of the infrastructure of the country as they provide support for electric wires, cable, and communications wires. However, many of these poles are decades old and have degraded over time, requiring varying degrees of maintenance and repair. For example, steel utility poles may become damaged due to corrosion and may develop holes or other weaknesses that can undermine the structural integrity of the pole. Other types of poles, such as, for example, mono-pole cell-towers and light poles, can experience similar degradation. It is both a time-consuming and expensive process to replace a damaged utility pole, and as such, it is generally desirable to repair a damaged utility pole if possible.
However, patching a hole in a steel utility pole is also a time-consuming process as it typically requires a customized solution, as the size, shape, taper, location, and nature of the corroded portion of a pole will vary from case to case. Additionally, utility poles come in many shapes and sizes. For example, utility poles can be circular, 4-sided, 6-sided, 8-sided, 12-sided, 16-sided, or other suitable configuration. Another complicating factor is that the pole manufacturing process is not always perfect, and so it may be necessary to measure the individual pole before developing a repair solution. Thus, in order to develop a customized pole repair solution, an engineering team may be required to first spend considerable time studying and understanding the geometry of the pole and the geometry of the damaged area. Thus, there is a need for a standardized system and method of repairing a steel utility pole.